Much of the services provided for individuals with autism currently focus on early intervention in childhood. Many of the therapies take place in the school setting or in clinics for school-aged children. However, even with these treatments, autism is usually a life-long disability. Even though these children age into adulthood, they often retain child like personalities and behaviors. Therefore, even with the significant gains that have been made in early intervention for autism, individuals often require continued therapy and services throughout adulthood in order to maintain quality of life.

MAAP provides a structured environment for those with challenging behaviors due to their severity of autism to participate in functional and meaningful activities that are goal oriented and specialized for each individual’s needs and interests. MAAP applies an individualized behavior analytic approach to increase communication, social and vocational skills, which could include any combination of occupational and speech therapies as well as the use of sensory processing equipment as a therapeutic approach.

The day is structured to include a variety of activities adapted to their individual goals and capabilities. Activities could include cognitive enrichment exercises, recreational/physical activities, behavior programming and social skills training, activities related to daily living skills, and pre-vocational activities. Existing resources, such as The Center’s employment assessment, job training and placement programs, can also be leveraged as needed.